A Confused Sacrificial Love
by FilthyWoman
Summary: After an unexpected encounter in the woods, Tiina becomes a captive of three stranded Vikings longing to return home. Sweden x FEM!Finland. AU
1. Into the Forest

**SERIES: **'Hetalia'

**TITLE: **'A Confused Sacrificial Love'

**SUMMARY**: After an unexpected encounter in the woods, Tiina becomes a captive of three stranded Vikings longing to return home. Sweden x FEM! Finland. AU

**WARNINGS**: GENDERBENT FINLAND~! Lemon in later chapter, human names used, Viking Alternative Universe, MULTI-CHAPTER fic

**MAIN PAIRING**: Sweden x FEM!Finland (Berwald x Tiina)

**SIDE PAIRING**: Denmark x Norway (Mathias x Lukas), one-sided FEM!Finland x Estonia (Tiina x Eduard)

**SETTING**: Set around the end of the Viking age in Finland

**DISCLAIMER**: We do not own Hetalia and we do not claim to be historically accurate.

***This fic contains a **FEM!Finland **and is rated 'MATURE' for later chapters. ***

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><p><em>'A Confused Sacrificial Love'<em>

"Waaahh. It's cold," Tiina whined with a shiver as she sat up in bed. Her bedmate stirred, cocked its fluffy white head and then replied with a playful "Arroo."

The Finnish woman reluctantly crawled out of bed, wrapping the blanket around her body and the dog's as she headed over towards the hearth fire.

"Oh no. It's almost out," she lamented, "I forgot to put more wood in the fire and now it snowed."

She looked over at the basket near the front door. It was nearly empty; only one log and a handful of twigs. The dog whined and gave her a piteous look.

"I know. I know. I was suppose to go out and get some but.." The blonde patted the dog's head as her voice trailed off into the frigid air.

It was hard being a woman living alone, well almost alone if a dog truly counted as a housemate. Her house was at the edge of a dark forest in a land where the daylight hours were so short. What did her dog Hanatamago expect? The Estonian Eduard hadn't been coming around quite as often lately and helping her chop down and carry back the wood so naturally there was going to be a delay in the supply. The heavy snowfall hadn't helped either.

"Arroo." the white dog nudged her master.

"What's that, Hanatamago? You think we should go out and get some more?"

Certainly that would be a great idea and they could do with a walk. While she was out getting firewood she could allow her dinner to cook in the little bit of fire. By the time she return to the house it would be done.

Tiina quickly went over to a wooden box and removed an ice packed fish from inside of it. She then placed the fish into a pot over the fire and wiped her hand with some cloth. When it was ready later, it would taste really good.

Tiina picked up her white cloak and wrapped it over her shoulders. She then slipped on a pair of shoes and headed towards the door carrying a basket. Her hand glided to the door latch. She set foot out into the snow and shivered a bit. It was so cold yet lovely; she adored the beauty of this weather.

The landscape had always been so much prettier after a freshly fallen snow. Tiina couldn't help but admire the way the icicles crystallized on the trees or the smell of pine as she headed deeper into the forest.

Hanatamago didn't seem to mind either. She enjoyed playing with her owner and trotting over the ice-coated snow.

Tiina broke off a small branch and tossed it for Hanatamago to fetch. The small dog barreled off across the snow, pouncing accidentally into a snow drift and making a plop sound. White powder flew up into the air.

The Finnish woman giggled. Her dog was just so adorable.

"Arf" Hanatamago's little white head popped up. She glanced from side to side.

"Oh, did you lose your stick?" Tiina replied playfully, "Let's just get another one for you."

Again, Tiina broke off a small branch and tossed it back across the ground.

"Arroo." This time, Tiina had thrown the stick much further. As the day progressed, she realized with some worry that she had walked further away from her house than she had ever done before. This part of the woods was foreign to her and it would probably be much too dark to see by the time she started to head back if she didn't turn around now.

Tiina coaxed the dog back towards her side. It seemed like a good time to collect the final pieces she needed before returning.

Suddenly, there was a strange sound that spooked both her and Hanatamago. It was a low howl coming from somewhere nearby. Tiina threw the basket onto the ground, causing all the firewood to scatter. The dog jumped nervously and they both bolted from one another in terror as something continued approaching.

Tiina quickly ran away from the sounds. Something else, another animal, closed the gap between her and itself. The animal dashed passed her madly.

Tiina screamed, stopping dead in her tracks. She took immediate notice of her surrounding, vaguely realizing that animal was a rabbit and it was running away from a wolf.

Tiina gasped, covering her mouth in a silent horror. The wolf stopped, shooting a glance in her direction. The blonde trembled, reaching shakily for the small knife she had tied at her waist. It was going to attack her, she feared.

Dread swelled up in her chest as both beast and woman stared back at one another.

A sudden sound of branches cracking off in the distance caused the wolf's attention to shift back towards the woods. It was eager to continue pursuing its prey so it turned and bolted away from her.

"That was close huh, Hanatamago?" Tiina sighed with relief. Then her heart began to pound loudly as she looked down and realized with some horror that her dog was no longer by her side.

Tiina immediately started to look for Hanatamago. She hoped the dog hadn't gotten too far and that she was alright.

"She must be so scared," Tiina thought to herself as she searched.

"Hanatamago!"

She called out again for the dog, hoping Hanatamago would respond to the sound of her voice. She paused to listen but still there was nothing.

Tiina frowned when she realized she had no idea which way her dog had gone. She walked a little bit more into the forest trying her best to retrace her steps.

It was unfortunate that her panic had resulted in some disorientation. She thought she had come from somewhere over in that direction but it was getting hard for her to tell because her footsteps had started to go in circles.

This was not a good situation at all. She was getting lost searching for her dog and a quick reunion was starting to become less and less likely with each passing moment.

What if Hanatamago couldn't answer her anymore. What if another animal came by and harmed her dog while she was out there looking for it. The thought frightened the Finnish woman. Hanatamago was truly the last family member Tiina had left in this world and she couldn't bear to lose her too.

Tiina wouldn't give up. She'd keep looking until she was once more reunited with her beloved Hanatamago.

_To be continued…_

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><p><em>AN- Please read and review! We would be very grateful for that and it would encourage us to continue writing knowing your opinion for this story~! *hugs*_


	2. Suggestive Intrigue

"It sn'wed." Berwald observed as he opened the door to gather the firewood.

Lately, it had been doing that a lot and with greater frequency than even he was accustomed to. Honestly, the snow didn't bother the Swedish man much. Winter was an interesting season. Yes, it was cold but at the same time it was also somewhat homey with a special emphasis on daily domestic life.

Berwald adapted to the challenging winter conditions readily because his own nation was so similar to the land they were now stranded in. He didn't mind sitting around the hearth, day after day, cooking or gathering wood.

It was Lukas that was having the greatest difficulty accepting things as they were. The young Norwegian was desperately homesick. The short hours of daylight in Finland didn't help nor did the perpetually grey sky that seemed to haunt the air above them.

"Agh, I can't take it anymore," the Norwegian complained, dropping his head miserably against the table.

"So what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Mathias said ruefully, "Try to go to the village and get yourself killed. Cuz' it's suicide doin' that."

"We'ther'll turn," Berwald tacked on, "Jus' be patient." He set the pile of firewood on the table beside Lukas.

"It's been six months. I think it is true. The Gods have forsaken us." Lukas mumbled against his sleeve.

"But we've been lucky." Mathias was quick to point out, "We're alive, we don't have to share any of our treasure from the raid, we found this great cabin and Berwald's gonna finish workin' on our boat."

"You think we're lucky," Lukas lamented, sitting upright to glower at the cocky Dane, "Lucky we're trapped here in the middle of nowhere, lucky our comrades deserted us, and all the treasure we have is worthless because we can't ever go into the village. Is that lucky? You think that's lucky?"

"Yeah. I do," Mathias said smugly, patting Lukas on the shoulder, "Lucky cuz you got me."

Lukas sighed, deliberately looking away from him. "This is hopeless, so fucking hopeless."

Berwald ruffled the Norwegian's hair. "'s okay."

"Anyway, I've been thinking. I want to offer another prayer to Odin," Lukas returned his attention to the Dane, "But maybe praying isn't enough. Maybe the Gods are looking for a bigger sacrifice."

"Hey, yeah. I've got it," Mathias answered with an eager grin, "What about the rabbits? We take a couple of them over to the bog, spill their blood, and say a few prayers. Problem solved."

"It's worked before," Mathias finished, giving the Norwegian's shoulder a hearty rub.

"No, you're missing the point," Lukas replied, jerking his shoulder away, "I think it has to be something more sacred. I mean the rabbits are just food, you breed them like crazy. They don't have any special meaning to us. It has to be something important, you know. Kinda like a valuable possession."

"Like what?" Mathias said, leaning in closer, "Some more of that treasure we pillaged?"

"That doesn't have much meaning either. The treasure we have is of a worldly value but there's no spiritual connection that the Gods would be interested in. It's useless out here in this place anyway. What we need is something practical that the Gods might find useful. Something magnificent, kind of like your axe Mathias. If we offered that thing up to them, they'd know we were sincere and truly in need of their help."

"My axe," the Danish man repeated, his eyebrows arching in surprise, "Hah… You're joking. Berwald, tell me he's joking."

Lukas shrugged, "Yeah, maybe I am. But you get the idea now, right? It would have to be something that would be difficult for us to part with. The Gods need to know we're serious about sailing back home when the bad weather finally breaks."

"M'kes sense," Berwald remarked with a nod, "But, we'll h've ta think 'bout it more."

"Yeah. Let's not be too hasty," Mathias replied anxiously, "All this talk about sacrificing to the Gods is making me hungry. Berwald. Let's go out and hunt before it gets dark again."

The Danish man pulled on his heavy cloak and headed for the front door, his axe tightly in his grasp.

"You know it's crazy right?" Mathias told Berwald as they walked through the woods, "He wanted to sacrifice _my axe_. I mean, my axe. How could he?"

"He's j'st clingin' ta hope. I th'nk he feels gu'lty abo't being the re'son we were left beh'nd and the bad feelins' are getting' ta him. It's his f'rst bad raid so 'course he's scared."

"I mean, you guys wouldn't…oh I don't know, actually throw my axe in the bog, would ya? Lukas isn't holding up too well and maybe you might suddenly starting thinking it's a great idea to sacrifice my axe…"

Berwald bent down to pick something up at his feet. He turned the item over in his hand and glanced in his Viking brother's direction, "Look. S'meone's been here."

Berwald made a mental observation that the person had been picking up firewood but had somehow abandoned their basket.

Mathias, too stuck in his own rant to care, ignored everything of what Berwald had just told him and kept going, "I mean I don't know why it would have to be 'my axe.' Even if it is the greatest thing ever and more powerful than Odin's when I swing it, it's not meant to go in that bog where I can't ever use it again."

Berwald remained where he was while Mathias continued walking. He scratched his head, puzzled by the other things he was beginning to notice. He stopped deliberately to examine his surroundings a bit more closely.

Something just didn't feel right. It was the first time he'd ever noticed any evidence of someone else moving around in these woods besides himself and his two Viking brothers.

The nearest village was a distance away so it was unlikely one of the villagers would travel this far into the woods to harvest kindling for their hearth, especially when a closer spot would have been more practical and ideal.

There were also some footprints leading away from the area. One was definitely human-too petite to belong to Mathias or Lukas-and it had gone ahead in the same direction Mathias was traveling. Judging by the distance between them, the person had been running. The other set of footprints was a bit different although it was evident that this thing had also been moving at a fast pace.

Berwald veered to the left and took note of the other signs on the ground. Some of the bush branches were disturbed and a small bit of bloodied ribbon clung to one of the pieces. Further up ahead near the edge of the bushes, little drops of blood dotted the snow and led a perfect trail towards the underbrush.

This doesn't seem like a wild animal, Berwald thought at first. These were paw prints-small ones- and they sorta reminded him of a dog. But not a big dog. It had to be something small with a compact body.

Curious, Berwald followed this path. Vaguely he wondered whether he'd find this creature in a salvageable condition. His hand rested loosely on the hilt of his sword as he made his way down the hill.

The trail ended there.

At first, Berwald didn't see anything, only small amounts of movement coming from the edge of the brush. Then, all at once, he noticed the torn blue ribbon that was tied lovingly around the creature's neck.

"H'y, lil' fella," he said softly, extending his hand outward in a gesture of mercy, "C'mere."

The little white dog looked up at him as he spoke, it's cute round eyes staring up into his face expectantly. It barked at him enthusiastically and made an effort to approach him. Sadly, it couldn't quite reach him just yet.

"Y're caught," the Swedish man pointed out, his fingers working to remove the ribbon that kept the dog in place.

He lifted the wounded animal into his arms. The white dog nuzzled against him as Berwald inspected its body.

The dog's injury wasn't too severe, Berwald noted. Just some scratches, most likely from running through the brush and getting caught on some of the briars. Nothing a little time and care couldn't fix.

He turned his attention back to the direction Mathias had headed. This animal probably belonged to someone and now it was time for him to find them.

_To be continued…_

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><p>Author's Notes #1- YAY! Chapter 2 is done~~! I'm so happy~~! Please read and review~! We'd be very appreciative of that if you did~~!<p>

Author's Notes #2- Aa~ I forgot I need some cultural explanations~ Forgive me~

* In Finland (and other northern countries too) they have something called 'Polar Nights'. That's where the moon stays out during the day hours and the sky is always night (getting light grey at points). This is in the winter and can last a few months.

*There was a whole bunch of Nordic Gods and Goddesses. But we'll be mentioning Odin lots~ *Odin is a Nordic God. He's like 'king' god for all Viking Warriors because he was just that awesome and powerful~ And he totally had a thing for battles, fighting and war~


	3. Alone by Chance

Mathias turned. There it was again.

"_It's almost sounds like…crying_?" he thought to himself.

The Danish man frowned. Now this was just pathetic. If he found out that Lukas wandered away from the house-leaving the hearth totally unattended-so he could come out here to cry like some girl, he was totally going to have hurt him.

Mathias followed the sound and made his way to the hill that overlooked the bog. Sure enough, he could see a figure dressed in a white cloak.

"Hey." he called out, tromping down the hillside, "You better not have let the fire go out. It's shit to get started."

A girl wearing a blue dress underneath the white cloak turned to look at him. Her tear stained face took Mathias by surprise.

At first he was dumbstruck; he'd fucked up royally by making contact with one of the natives. But the girl didn't seem bothered by his presence at all. In fact, she seemed comforted though a little embarrassed that he had seen her shedding tears.

"I can't find Hanatamago." she explained, clutching at his black cloak.

The Dane tried to pull away. "What are you doing out here?" he demanded as his face grew hot with anger.

This was not good. Hanatamago? That sounded like a name. So that meant that there was probably at least one more of those Finns running around his neck of the woods. If these people found the cabin and got a mob together, they would be screwed. He already knew from experience what happened to the rest of his comrades when they encountered the Finnish people further south. This was just the beginning of a bad nightmare.

The young woman stood up, clasping her hands together, before nervously pleading, "Please, help me find my dog. Together, maybe we can find her."

"Y-your dog?" Mathias asked, scratching his head, "Is that what you and your friend are looking for?"

"Friend?" Tiina answered, a look of confusion sweeping across her features, "I don't have any friends out here. I'm alone."

"Like alone, alone?" Mathias clarified.

Tiina looked at him curiously. "Yes, alone. I was taking my dog out but an animal scared us and we got separated. Hanatamango's probably hurt," her eyes searched around on the ground, "I don't know if she'd been attacked by that wild animal and I've been searching everywhere but I'm so lost. I just keep going in circles."

"Which direction do you think you came from? The village?" Mathias questioned as they began to walk.

"No, not there. I live further north. My house is that lone one that they make fun of. You probably heard about it."

No. He hadn't. And according to this conversation, she wasn't any wiser to realize he wasn't a villager.

"Yeah," he lied, "You live out there with your…uh husband."

"No. It's just me and Hanatamago," Tiina explained, "Aa! I need to hurry. I need to find her."

Alone. The word seemed to ring nicely in Mathias' head. It meant less complicated in his mind. At least he wouldn't have to deal with other people coming out there bothering them before they could leave this place and make it out safely.

Tiina began walking ahead of him, calling loudly for her dog. Mathias trailed behind her. "Hey lady. What's your name?"

That was odd, Tiina thought, If he heard about her in the village , he should have known her name.

"Tiina Väinämöinen." Her feet stopped and she turned towards him, a slow curiosity flushing her face.

"Is there another village nearby?" she finally asked.

Mathias shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Uh, um, what are you actually doing out here anyway?"

Before Mathias could answer, a loud arf sound crossed the nearby air. The woman's eyes lit up and a smile drew across her face. "Hanatamago."

Within seconds, however, terror gripped her features. "Ohaaaaaaaa." she screamed the moment she caught sight of Berwald carrying her dog. She immediately fell to the ground and crawled backwards, ending up at Mathias' feet.

"A monster's got my dog," she whined.

Mathias laughed. "Did you hear that, monster?" he said, approaching and pulling on his Swedish brother's face, "I think you're more of a troll though. You got hit by the ugly stick in this woods a few times, hell, even your name got hit by that same stick, Berwald."

"W'th that axe of yo'rs you look more l'ke the troll." Berwald elbowed the elder man away, causing the Dane to trip and land on the snowy embankment beside the bog. Berwald kicked Mathias's axe playfully out across the frozen ice.

Mathias gasped. To his horror, the axe stopped spinning near the center of the bog.

Berwald moved on and looked down at the Finnish woman who was now dusting the snow off her clothes. He held Hanatamago out to her. "T'is yer dog?" he asked.

"Oh no. What happened to her?" the Finn cried as she noticed the blood on her dog's fluffy white coat, "Was she attacked?"

"She'll be a'ight," Berwald said reassuringly, "Found her l'ke this."

Hanatamago arfed again and scuttled towards the ground to be reunited with her beloved owner. The Finnish woman knelt down to play with her dog, taking Hanatamago up into her arms joyfully. "Thank you for finding her." she beamed.

Berwald took note of Tiina's beauty as she spoke animatedly to her dog about how worried she was and how much she missed her. It was strange to see such a pretty girl in such a dangerous forest. "You injur'ed?" he asked, looking at her with some concern.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just a little startled that these woods are so big," she responded, "You don't really think about it til you get lost in them."

Hanatamago fidgeted around happily in her owner's arms. The dog's tongue lapped at the Finn's face. Berwald couldn't help thinking that her smile was kinda cute.

In the meantime, Mathias cursed under his breath as he raced across the ice after his axe. He couldn't believe Berwald would just screw around with his most prized possession.

As he made it to the middle of the bog where his axe had come to rest, he heard the sickening sound of the ice cracking beneath his feet.

It seemed like too much of a coincidence for him to be there, in the middle of the frozen bog, collecting his axe from where they had talked about sacrificing it earlier in the day.

A terrifying thought seeped into his brain and only confirmed the deepest fears he ever had.

The Gods really were after his precious axe.

He looked over at Berwald and the woman as they stood talking by the shore.

It was all starting to make sense to him now.

It really was.

They'd been living in this secluded section of the forest for almost half a year and hadn't seen a soul. Then, the one day that Lukas suggested sacrificing his axe also happened to be the very same day they, no, make that he, first encountered someone.

Surely, her presence had some divine purpose. Yes, that had to be the reason.

Mathias carefully bent down and picked up his axe from the bog's surface. The ice groaned again enough for the Dane to hear the opposite edge of the bog begin to splinter and crack.

He felt a surge of anger spiked with desperation course through his body. He understood now. If he wanted to keep the axe, he just had to offer the Gods something more precious.

_And what_, Mathias had thought, _was more precious than offering up to the Gods a beautiful human life_?

_To be Continued~~_

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><p><em>Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and alert~~! We love you~~! As always, we are grateful that you are reading our work. Feedback is welcome. <em>

_Author's Note #2: *_**explanation of why everyone want to throw stuff into the local bog ~~~~** So way back in Viking times (and before that too) people use to think that dumping offering into bogs and then praying would help achieve whatever desire they wanted. Danish farmers use to throw their axes, tools, jewelry, and other such things including humans into bogs as sacrificial offerings~~


	4. Something Rotten in Denmark

"You al'ne?" the stranger who had rescued her dog asked as Hanatamago fidgeted happily in her arms.

Tiina smiled as the dog's tongue lapped at her face.

"Mn, mnn!" she replied with a nod, "I was so lost without my Hanatamago. Thank you for rescuing her… um"

"B'rwald," the stranger responded.

"Did you lose your pet in the forest too, Berwald?" Tiina asked.

"No. We're h'nting." he replied, his ominous eyes looking back towards hers.

Tiina averted her gaze and focused on Hanatamago, "Oh, so you live nearby?" she asked with a tremble in her voice.

Berwald paused before replying with an affirming grunt.

"I haven't really lived in the village for a few years since my family left. I do visit my friends there often," she rambled nervously, "but I really haven't met any of the new comers yet. It is a nice village though. Do you know Eduard?"

"Ed'ard?" he repeated, his voice sounding uncertain.

"He's a tradesman, who lives with the Braginski family." she explained.

Berwald shook his head 'no'. Tiina looked surprised "I guess you must be really new then."

"Not from a v'llage 'round here." he admitted sheepishly.

"Oh?"

Berwald's response puzzled her. Hadn't the other man said he was from her old village? She had been too distraught before to notice but now that Hanatamago was safely in her arms, she was starting to pay closer attention to the stranger standing before her. Yes, he was scary and his presence had frightened her, but there was something more to his physical appearance that she failed to notice earlier.

Her eyes fell to his side where she took note of the ornate sword he wore tied at his waist. She'd seen something like it before. Yes, it was definitely not a Finnish sword. It reminded her more of the weapons a foreign raiding party had used when they attacked her village a few years ago.

This stranger was carrying a Viking sword and his manner of dress was also Viking in origin.

"I…should be going home," Tiina stated, cuddling Hanatamago more snuggly against her bosom.

The stranger nodded in agreement, "The sky's t'rning dark. Prob'ly should go home. Yo'r fam'ly must be worr'ed."

"Thank you," she squeaked out, getting ready to bolt as far away from there as her legs would carry her.

"What's your hurry?" By now the first stranger she had encountered had rejoined them. He was wearing a smirk and seemed strangely content with himself as though he had reached some sort of important decision. She shifted her body right to maneuver past him but he blocked her.

"I thought you said you were alone and lost?" Mathias questioned, his blue eyes bearing down on her, "How're you going to get home without someone to help you?"

"I'll be alright. I think I know the way now."

Berwald looked at his companion strangely. Though he was concerned with the woman's well-being, it probably wouldn't be in their best interest to accompany her home.

"The v'llage is in that d'rection." He explained, pointing it out for her. "Leave n'w and you'll make it bef're d'rk."

Tiina started slowly moving in the direction he had indicated.

"Hey Berwald. What do you think of her?" Mathias asked curiously, "She told me she was unmarried earlier. Do you think she's still a virgin?"

Tiina's walk broke out into a full run. Hanatamago arfed loudly as her running jarred the small dog back and forth in her arms.

Berwald turned to his Viking brother, a surprised look crossing his face as the Danish man took off from his place at his side.

Tiina panicked as she heard the crunchy sound of footsteps chasing after her as she hurried across the snow. Her shoes skidded over the slippery surface causing her to nearly lose her balance.

Like the rabbit she encountered earlier, her speed was nothing compared to the predatory man who pursued her. She screamed in a terrified panic as he seized her by the waist and pulled her lithe body to face him. Hanatamago yipped as she was cast from the safety of her owner's arms.

Tiina struggled against Mathias' grip and cried out as the man struck her in the face with his fist. He hit her again when she resisted until she fainted and her body crumpled backwards.

"Don't look at me like that," Mathias called out towards Berwald, "I gave her a five second head start cuz she said she was lost. Obviously the Gods wanted me to catch her, or else she would have gotten out of here."

"This really is destiny," he continued in a cheery voice.

Berwald approached him swiftly, his face dark and his expression unreadable. Just as Mathias started to say something, Berwald threw a strong punch at him and struck him squarely on the lip.

"Fuck," the Dane swore through his teeth as he spit blood on the woman's white cloak.

Berwald didn't hesitate to hit him again. By now, Hanatamago was prancing around their feet, dancing happily while the scene erupted into chaos.

Mathias left the woman's body slide to the ground. Now that both of his hands were free from distractions, he could focus on returning Berwald's blows.

The Swedish man was strong but the Danish one was stronger. Mathias enjoyed exerting that superiority over any challenger he faced, especially Berwald. He had survived because of his brute strength and because he was a born leader. When his other Viking comrades deserted them, he assumed leadership of their three man group and stayed strong despite the overwhelming odds. He smugly knew he was the reason they were all alive today.

But Berwald was smart. Hell, he even inspired more than half of Mathias' brilliant ideas but he wasn't gonna win this one. The Gods were giving Mathias an opportunity to keep what he really wanted. He needed that axe and it would be his…Forever. No need to throw away something so magnificent when something just as valuable could be sacrificed in its place.

Berwald would come around once he realized the brilliance of this plan. It made Mathias smile as he landed another punch against the Swede's stomach. Yes. It would be brilliant and successful.

Mathias blitz-attacked Berwald once he knocked him down. The blonde Swedish Viking groaned loudly as he was hopelessly getting his ass kicked in the snow. Occasionally, Berwald would connect and land a hit but Mathias took the new blows in stride. He was way too amped up to feel the pain properly, not when he was so excited with bloodlust.

He hadn't a fight like this in a long time and it felt so damn good.

Berwald seized Mathias' leg and tripped him just as he was about to kick him again. Mathias thudded hard against the ground, his blood intermingling with Berwald's on the snowy landscape below them.

Berwald rolled over and tackled him, locking his strong arms around Mathias' throat. He held the Dane in a viscous choke hold but it was short-lived because Mathias ended it abruptly when he elbowed him sharply in the chest.

Berwald groaned as the Dane struck him in the face, knocking his glasses across the snow. Mathias pinned him down. "Hey. You lost. It's over. Now cut it out and listen to me."

Mathias stood up and wiped the blood from his own cheek, "All this fighting's made me hungrier. We have to get dinner."

He held his hand out to Berwald, "Now get up and c'mon." The other man reluctantly accepted his help and got to his feet.

The unconscious Finn still lay a few feet away from where they had been fighting. Hanatamago lapped at her master's face, trying to rouse the woman as best as she could.

"I think you should carry her," Mathias told Berwald, "Since you're pretty useless right now bleeding like a loser."

Berwald wiped the blood from his face and stooped down to pick the woman up so he could carry her on his back. Hanatamago barked happily as they finally started to walk and she ran ahead to play in the snow. She fetched a stick and dropped it at Berwald's feet. He took note of it but said nothing.

His mind was more focused on the tense matter at hand. It appeared to Berwald as though Mathias found this woman somehow desirable. Berwald couldn't deny that he too found the blonde attractive. Although he did not know her well, she seemed to be friendly and was very cute. Mathias must have decided he wanted to take her for his wife or lover since he was unmarried. Why else would he raise a question about her virginity. Logically that was the only conclusion that made any sense to Berwald.

"What do you think of her?" Mathias had asked him before he chased her down. Berwald knew if he had been capable of giving an answer then he would have admitted he found her physique adorable, but it would be embarrassing to admit that type of statement so openly.

Tiina was very light and warm. He liked holding her against his body and carrying her home towards their cabin. Her breasts were soft and full against his back and he liked the hotness of her breath as it tingled down his neck. Berwald felt his cheeks light up a bit with a slight blush in response to the sensation. The woman's scent was also interesting, a mixture of sweetness from an assortment of berries. And it made his heart beat just a little faster as he took it all in.

His brother was one lucky man and silently, Berwald envied him for this.

To be continued~~~~

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note #1-<em>**Even though Vikings didn't have glasses~ we're keeping Berwald with his eye wear~ :P

_**Author's Note #2-** _Thank you very much to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and alerted~~~ It really builds up our confidence and makes us want to write more~~! So please keep reviewing if you like it~~ _XOXOXOXO_ to you all~~


	5. Celebration for Party of One

"We're back," Mathias announced as he trampled snow into the cabin. Lukas looked up from the hearth where he had been poking a stick into the embers.

"What happened to you?" he asked, catching sight of the bruises that dotted the Dane's face and his swollen lip.

"A bear named Berwald," Mathias said sarcastically as he threw the deer he had caught onto the floor.

Lukas stood up. "You didn't kill him, did you? We need him for building the boa-" The Norwegian stopped mid-sentence and gasped when he saw Berwald enter, covered in his own blood and carrying someone on his back. A white dog followed closely behind him carrying a stick in its mouth.

"What is that?" Lukas frowned, staring at the dog, "What were you thinking? Bringing home another mouth to feed?"

He stalked closer, trying to get the best look at what Berwald had brought through the door. "A woman," Lukas said, before turning sharply towards Mathias, "You shouldn't have taken her from the village. People are going to come out here looking for her."

"You have to return her from wherever you found her," the Norwegian insisted.

Mathias just laughed and sat down on the floor beside the hearth. Oh, he'd return her alright. Back to the Gods.

"Don't worry about it. She lives alone on the outskirts of the village somewhere." Mathias said reassuringly.

"And you're okay with this?" Lukas asked, directing his attention towards Berwald as he laid their 'guest' gently on his bedding.

"What the hell are you asking him for," Mathias demanded, pounding his own fist against his chest, "This was my decision. I'm still the leader so what I say goes. We kidnapped her for a greater good."

It was at that moment that Mathias' attention turned to the fire. "Help Berwald skin that. We're gonna celebrate tonight."

Lukas nodded and went to fetch the knives. Berwald remained at the Finnish woman's side, sitting beside her on the bed. He removed her cloak and folded it gently.

"What are you doing?" Mathias asked loudly in the Swedish man's direction, "I told you to get up and cook."

"The real question is what are you doing?" Lukas asked from behind him, "Why are we celebrating? Are you giving up and settling down here with this woman?"

Mathias laughed. "Why? Do you really think she's my type?"

Lukas looked over at Berwald and then back at Mathias. "I guess so."

Well that was perfect. If Lukas thought this woman was good enough for him -a self-proclaimed Danish incarnation of God-than she was good enough to be an offering to the real ones.

Berwald stood up and collected the deer's body from the floor, his lips forming a frown. Lukas didn't seem happy at the Dane's words either. Not only did it mean he'd never be leaving this land it also hurt his feelings because he secretly had a crush on Mathias and this new relationship with a woman would definitely come between them.

Both men worked quietly dismembering the deer's body while Mathias whistled happily. He didn't even pay attention to Hanatamago as she scampered about the room, exploring everything. No, his attention was on his axe as he polished it vainly. It really was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on and now he was going to get to keep it.

Everything was starting to finally go his way. Catching the deer in the woods without having much trouble finding it was certainly another sign of good fortune from the Gods. He was on the right path. Bringing this woman here was definitely one of things he needed to do to appease the heavens.

Eating the deer would be good too especially when Berwald was the one in charge of cooking it. Preparing the meal usually was a shared responsibility but since it was a special occasion, he ordered Berwald to do it. For one, he was the best cook of the three. His temperament made him patient and he was naturally inclined towards domestic tasks. Secondly, he never burnt the food like Mathias or undercooked it like Lukas. Finally, he was able to multi-task and tonight was no exception.

While Berwald waited for the deer to roast over the fire spit, he made it a priority to tend to the woman.

Lukas watched as Berwald placed another handful of snow on the left side of her face. "Does she got a name?" Lukas asked.

"Tiina," Mathias said from across the room, "And that ball of fur over there is Hanatamago."

At the sound of her name, the dog jumped off the chair and ran over to Mathias. Eagerly, she panted and hopped up and down, arfing until the Dane finally gave in and began to pet her.

Berwald brushed his hand against Tiina's temple. The ice had brought down some of the swelling but the spot was probably going to still be tender. Tiina moaned under his touch and Berwald's first response was to recoil from her skin. He felt embarrassed that he was caressing her injury.

She moaned again, this time more softly and her body shifted against his thigh. A bit of snow trickled down her throat and into the valley of her breasts.

Berwald blushed, averting his gaze towards Lukas. The Norwegian glowered in the corner, his eyes almost as fiery as the flame he watched. Berwald could tell something was bothering the younger man and he assumed part of the reason was that he still was extremely homesick.

Lukas turned as though he sensed Berwald's eyes upon him. He clenched his fists against his thighs and then stood up, walking out towards the door.

Hanatamago pursued him. The Norwegian glared at the dog as though he would collar and tie her if she didn't leave him alone. Hanatamago whimpered and then retreated, scampering towards Berwald and her master.

"Don't be selfish. Take her with you if you're going for a piss," Mathias called over to him.

Lukas didn't even look back. He slammed the door and disappeared out into the night.

"I'll t'ke her," Berwald stated as he stood up and walked with the dog to the door.

Mathias nodded. It wouldn't hurt to be alone right now. He could think more about what he needed to do next while the other two were out of the cabin. He walked over to the bed where Tiina was. She wasn't half bad looking but he kinda messed up her face when he hit her. He'd have to wait until she healed a bit. He couldn't just send her to Odin's kingdom of Valhalla with a less than perfect appearance.

And he'd have to get the measurements right so he could make a proper noose. His hands fell to her neck and he placed them carefully on either side of her throat.

"About this big," he said to himself, visually committing the measurement to memory.

Outside, Berwald discovered it was snowing again under the gray night sky. His companion Hanatamago hopped around joyfully beside him as he walked towards Lukas, The dog did a good job bumping up against his leg with every chance she got. For an animal that had been injured earlier in the day, her temperament was surprisingly vibrant. It seemed this breed of dog bounced back quickly and for that he was glad. He only hoped her owner would make a similar recovery.

"Why'd you follow me?" Lukas asked.

"Tak'ng dog out." Hanatamago pranced around in the snow. Both were silent for a few moments before Berwald's voice broke the dead air.

"'S cold." Berwald stated, throwing a cloak around the other man's shoulders. Lukas huffed and leaned over the wood pile.

"Which one do you think would make a better addition to our ship?" he asked, holding up two pieces of wood to the Swedish man.

Berwald gestured to the one in his left hand.

Lukas nodded and then flung the other piece towards the cabin, "Since it's just gonna be the TWO of us on the return voyage."

"Math'as w'll come." Berwald told the Norwegian. Lukas sighed, he wasn't sure he could believe that.

"He's gone crazy," Lukas pointed out, "He's trying to get us killed and if he settles down then it's all over. Did he forget the vow of brotherhood he asked us to make with each other?"

"We're all g'nna go h'me together," Berwald replied, "He'll c'me to his sens's."

"He just wants a whore to bed," Lukas remarked, scraping the wood fiercely with his dagger, "Maybe he plans for us all to take a turn fucking her."

Berwald's face turned bright red ."No. I d'nt do that."

"Well, neither do I but it's so obvious what our so called great leader is thinking. That man somehow got his dick stuck up in his head and now things are gonna get so much worse." Lukas criticized as he whittled the wood in his hand.

"Look sh' brought back the st'ck you threw," Berwald said, trying to change the course of their discussion. Lukas watched dog again as she trotted back with the stick in her tiny mouth.

"I'm surprised she fit it in there," the Norwegian remarked. He bent down and took the wood, throwing it back at the house again. "You should take her inside. That itty bitty dog'll die out here in the snow."

"You too," Berwald said, taking the stick Lukas was carving from his hand, "Th' piece you cut is us'less now. Splint'red the wood."

"I'll be fine," Lukas sighed.

Inside, Tiina's winced and then hazily opened her violet eyes to look up at Mathias. She grabbed his hands that were still resting upon her throat.

"Don't scream," he commanded, one of his hands cupping her mouth quickly.

Her eyes darted from one side of the room to the other and for a moment, she actually wondered if she was inside a cabin in the village.

Her attention fell back on Mathias. She remembered meeting him in the woods.

"You'll be quiet, won't you?" he asked. Tiina nodded slowly, afraid of what he might do if she didn't agree.

"Good," he said, "That'll make things easier."

Mathias took his hand away from her mouth. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you, for now. "

Tiina watched as he carefully shifted to the edge of the bed. "I need to know some things about you," he told her, "You look young but is true you really have never been married before?"

"Eh?" Tiina shook her head. She wasn't sure why he'd ask something like that.

"No? Do you have any physical scars or deformities?" Mathias asked.

Tiina's mouth dropped and her head cocked to the side, "What? Those are silly questions."

"They're important to me," Mathias insisted, "so just tell me the truth."

Tiina shook her head again.

"Then your body isn't flawed, huh?" he confirmed, "Nice." The Danish man grinned from ear to ear. This was turning out better than he had hoped. And with everything going as planned, he'd be able to leave this place very soon.

"Uh, my face hurts so much," Tiina admitted, looking nervously at the stranger before her, "Why did you hit me?"

It was then that Berwald opened the door, coming inside. Tiina looked over and screamed the moment she saw his dark figure enter the room. Mathias responded by hitting her, rendering unconscious once more.

Berwald's mouth gaped in disbelief.

"What?" the Dane responded, " I told her not to scream."

_To be continued~~_

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note #1-<strong>_ Thank you for reading~~! We would totally appreciate your reviews~! *hugs to all of you~*

_**Author's Notes #2-**_ Odin's Kingdom of Valhalla- Odin was a Nordic God. Valhalla was equivalent to heaven. Kinda. Basically it was where warriors and sometimes sacrifices went when they died (mostly Vikings who got killed in battle). So, yeah, Valhalla was Odin's kingdom for the dead.


	6. Night Escape

"I don't have much of an appetite," Lukas said, pushing his plate at the dog. Mathias didn't take the news too well. He slammed the table with his fist. "Don't give that to her. I'm a human here. I can eat what you don't want."

Lukas rolled his eyes. "No. I'm giving it to the dog." And with that, he set the plate on the floor in front of Hanatamago.

Berwald appeared distracted the entire meal. He too seemed to lack his usual appetite. He ate in silence, his eyes occasionally following a path towards his bed where the injured woman continued to rest.

"What? It's good, isn't it?" Mathias asked, directing his attention towards Berwald. "If we had more spices, it would be even better."

"I don't th'nk it's the food." Berwald promptly added.

"If you don't want yours, I'm still hungry." Mathias said, eyeing the dog's plate. He reached down to the floor and picked up a piece of deer meat. Hanatamago whined as he took it from her and jammed it into his own mouth. "Delicious."

Lukas sank against the table, his expression melancholic as he watched Mathias rob the dog yet again. "You're so noisy," the Norwegian complained, "I'm going to bed." Mathias didn't seem bothered by the comment. He was in a surprisingly good mood that hadn't derailed yet. Berwald could only assume it was because they had brought Tiina into their household. He really did fancy her, didn't he?

Berwald finished his meal and filled a pot with snow so he could wash the wooden dishes. He added firewood to the fire and waited for the snow to gradually melt. Mathias finished eating as well.

"It's ge'ting late. Do you w'nt me to put her in yo'r bed?"

Berwald's question seemed to surprise the Dane.

He responded by shaking his head, "I'm not having her sleep in my bed. Anyway, she looks peaceful where she is now. You can just keep her there."

"But.." Berwald started to protest.

"It's okay. Really. You can keep her in your bed," Mathias said with smirk, "Just don't fuck her okay. I need her to stay a virgin until the big day." He gave his Swedish brother a hearty pat on the back and then continued to laugh boisterously until he removed his pants and crawled into his own bed.

Lukas sat up and looked at the Danish man. He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind and instead flopped over and faced the opposite wall, drawing the blanket up over his shoulders with a pout.

Berwald was too perplexed to speak. He didn't imagine Mathias to be a man that held back, especially when it came to earthly pleasure.

Tiina shifted as Hanatamago joined her in bed. The dog was just so cute cuddling against her master.

Berwald decided he could probably sleep on the floor when the time came. He didn't have an extra blanket but he'd be alright. He could manage without one.

When he finished washing the dishes, he checked on Tiina and put snow on her injuries. Hanatamago lapped at his hand as he did so. He was really starting to like the adorableness of that dog.

He settled on the floor and pulled his cloak up around his neck, keeping his body close together to retain as much heat as possible . As he drifted off to sleep, he felt a small body crawl on top of his. He opened his eyes and found Hanatamago staring back at him. The dog licked his face and then slipped beneath his cloak. She gnawed at his clothing, trying to eat up any of the residual food that remained behind on his shirt.

Berwald laughed inwardly. "Si'ly dog."

...

It was much later before Tiina finally stirred and awoke to find herself in a dimly lit room. She was uncertain of her location. All she knew was that this was not her home. She vaguely remembered that this was the cabin of the men whom she had encountered in the woods.

Tiina jerked upright in bed. She needed to get out of there. Her eyes followed the fireplace light around the room. She could hear snoring around her and noticed two of the nearby beds were occupied. If she was leaving, now was going to have to be the time.

She wondered where Hanatamago had gotten off too. She hoped the little dog had run away and gotten help for her but that was too much to wish for. Her worst fear was that the dog was dead in the woods and probably eaten by a wolf.

She hopped out of bed. Immediately, she was surprised by the feeling of something warm and bumpy beneath her feet. Berwald was sleeping on the floor against the side of her bed. As soon her feet stomped his chest, he was roused from that slumber in a fit of pain.

"Aghhhhhhhhhh," he bellowed out. She heard her dog yip loudly as well. Tiina screamed as her feet began to sink even more.

She nearly lost her balance as Berwald began to move, the large man groaned as he tried to force her off his breastbone. Tiina stumbled forward until she was finally touching the floor. She grabbed her mouth in terror and turned around, quickly squinting at the large mass that was taking shape below her. Something dark and blue sat up and she screamed 'ohyaaaaa' loudly again when she saw Berwald's face backlit against the dim light of the fireplace.

"What going on?" Lukas shouted, fumbling for his sword. Mathias stirred as well.

Tiina ran towards the door but missed it completely and smacked into a bench and table instead. The thing behind her now kinda look a person but even scarier because its face was completely in shadow.

Tiina smacked into the door. "Stay away from me," she whined, as she pulled on the handle. It wouldn't open, much to her anguish and dismay.

A large hand fell on her shoulder and completely freaked her out. She was caught again and now in her terror filled mind, she worried she would be eaten by those men.

"It's ok'y, ca'lm down." a voice said in a effort to stop her from being so frantic.

Tiina shook off the hand that touched her and ran to the window where she could see a crack of gray light. It led outside and she was desperate to make it out there. She hit the shutters hard, knocking them open and then leaping against the window sill to crawl to the outside.

The large hand now caught her foot and tried to pull her back towards it. She screamed again and kicked until she was free.

"Don't let her escape," Mathias shouted as he pulled his pants back on. "You two, go after her."

"You do it," Lukas snorted and then rolled over, burying himself back under the covers.

Mathias grabbed his axe from his bedside. No way he was leaving that precious thing behind when he obviously knew Lukas and Berwald might sacrifice it.

Berwald was already outside, still pursuing Tiina and trying to get her to stop running away from him. He didn't understand why she was so scared? Maybe she thought he was mad that she stepped on him when he was sleeping. He wasn't. Maybe he should tell her that. He'd have to catch her first.

"Arf, arf." Hanatamago joined the chase. She probably thought they were playing. She tripped the Dane and he swore loudly, cursing the little ball of white fluff that got in his way.

Tiina, in the meantime, started to climb a tree. She realized she couldn't outrun Berwald and so she had to outsmart him somehow and that meant she had to hide. Too bad she was still in sight when she decided to try to hide.

Berwald stopped and watched as she shimmied up the tree, climbing from branch to branch. The visibility was poor outside but he was certain where she had gone.

"What are you stopping for?" Mathias demanded as he caught up to Berwald, "Where'd she go?"

Berwald didn't answer. Tiina held her breath, hiding in the tree above them. Hanatamago ran over to the tree and then looked up. She began to bark loudly.

"Hanatamago, no," Tiina cried in a loud whisper, "Go. Go away." Her hand broke a branch off the tree and threw it out across the forest.

Mathias and Berwald watched as her dog retrieved the stick and brought it back to the tree. Tiina panicked and threw another stick.

Mathias looked up through the branches towards her and waved. "Hey! What'd you say you come down from there."

"No. You just wanna hurt me again," Tiina responded, gripping tightly to the tree branch.

_Fuck, _Mathias thought, _Did she already know he planned to sacrifice her? _

"I'm n't mad," Berwald told her, thinking it might make a difference. He offered her his hand. She responded by climbing higher up into the tree.

"Really? Really? That's what you have to say to get her to come down?" Mathias complained. "We're gonna have to go up and bring her back." and when he said 'we', he really meant Berwald. Mathias gave Berwald a hardy pat on the back, giving him a push forward against the tree.

Both their eyes met as Mathias waited for him to comply. Berwald shook his head in disappointment and then began to climb the tree. His effort was met with a shoe being hurled down at him from above.

"Don't come any closer or you'll regret it," Tiina warned as she struggled to remove her other shoe.

Berwald stopped but Mathias gave him a firm shove to the ass from below. "C'mon. Keep going. Get up there."

"I don't see y'u mak'ng an eff'rt." Berwald said as he pulled himself up on to another branch.

Tiina shook the branches. A barrage of snow came tumbling down at both of them, blanketing their hair and shoulders with a light dusting.

Tiina agitated the nearby branches again, snapping them off deliberately so she could continue to hurl them at Berwald as he climbed closer.

"Next one is going to take out your eye," Tiina yelled at Berwald.

"Do it!" Mathias exclaimed, smirking at the thought of Berwald losing an eye. That would be entertaining for him at least, but perhaps not in his best interest.

Berwald cast a disgusted look in his direction and then continued climbing until he reached the branch below her.

"Come d'wn," Berwald insisted, getting closer and closer to her position in the tree, "You bare'foot. Mus' be cold."

"I wouldn't be cold if you didn't chase me out here," she responded, belting another branch at him.

Berwald deflected it before it hit his shoulder, "N't my choice."

Mathias huffed impatiently as he waited. He really wanted to go back inside. "If you don't get down now, I'm gonna start chopping down this tree."

Mathias held up his axe and gave the tree a warning whack to show that he meant it. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Berwald's shocked face peer down at him.

The Swedish man approached Tiina and looped his arm around her waist. She struggled so he had no choice but to hold her firmly against him. Now that they were in close proximity with one another, Berwald could feel her body was shivering despite her adrenaline rush and her cheeks were turning light pink from being outside in the snow as well.

Tiina hit his back frantically with her shoe as he descended the tree, bringing her back down to the ground. Mathias hit the bark with his axe again and then laughed.

Berwald pulled the shoe that had been slapping him out of Tiina's hand and hurled it roughly so that it struck Mathias square in the face. He didn't appreciate the Danish man's impatience.

"What the hell did you do that for?," Mathias complained to Berwald as he finished dismounting from the tree.

Tiina forced her now bare feet to connect with the snow. Instantly, she felt discomfort from the coldness that made the soles of her feet tingle like pins being jammed into her flesh.

She attempted to jerk out of Berwald's hold on her body, once again determined to escape. Mathias grabbed her arm and pulled it violently.

"I can't believe your trying to escape again like that," Mathias scolded. He shook her roughly as he continued to grip her arm and pull her forward.

Berwald caught her other arm suddenly and held her back from the Dane. Mathias turned in disbelief, "Eh?"

"She's c'ld," he pointed out. Berwald removed his heavy blue cloak and wrapped it around Tiina's shoulders. She yelped a little when he lifted her into his arms so her feet wouldn't keep touching the icy ground.

The walk back was surprisingly quiet with the exception of Hanatamago's occasional arfing.

Tiina felt her body heat returning as Berwald held her tightly against himself. It was strange. It felt as though all his heat was somehow pouring into her, making her feel warm and secure. But she knew she wasn't truly secure.

She didn't understand why she felt so safe in such an unsafe setting.

_To be continued…_

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note 1:<strong> _We would really enjoy feedback and reviews~~! Thanks to everyone who faved, alerted and comment so far.

**Author's Note 2:** We got hit by Hurricane Irene which totally sucked. We manage to get this chappy written because we had no electric. It was so odd writing this out in a notebook then rewriting it...but then I totally can't help but romanticize how awesome it must have been to live back during Viking times with no electronics.


	7. Ties that bind us

Mathias looked around the cabin and centered his attention on Lukas who was still lying in bed. The Norwegian was not sleeping. He could tell. No one could rest with all this excitement going on around them.

The blonde Dane walked around to the side Lukas was facing and removed his dagger. The dishwater blonde watched but said nothing as Mathias picked up his cloak. He proceeded to sheer off a piece from the garment, ripping it unevenly while he maintained eye contact with the reclining man.

Lukas scowled and sat up. "Hey, that's mine. What're you doing?"

"I need it," Mathias answered as he threw the remainder of the garment back at Lukas.

Berwald and Tiina watched as Mathias crossed the room and held out the strip of cloth to them both. "Give me your hand," he said, reaching for Tiina's arm.

"I know we really don't know each other. I know we got off to a bad start. I know you're making it very difficult for me cuz your not trying to accept your fate but it would be for the best interest of all us if you kinda calmed down a little. Y'know, take life as it comes to you." Mathias explained as he tied the cloth around her wrist, giving it a tight pull.

"Can't you just let me go home," Tiina persuaded, "I left my fish cooking back on the hearth and I don't want any wild animals running in and taking it or just messing up my house. I left the door kinda open too so…"

"Berwald, give me your arm." Mathias said, ignoring everything she was telling him. He made a knot.

The Swedish viking withheld it and looked directly into Mathias' blue eyes. "Why?"

"Cuz I'm afraid you're going to wreck everything for me," the Dane replied. He then turned, focusing on Tiina, "You just don't understand how much I need you right now."

Lukas let out an exasperated sigh from the opposite side of the room. "You're too noisy with that nonsense. I can't stand your annoying voice." He pulled the cover back over his head with a huff and then buried himself beneath once more.

Mathias caught Berwald by the arm and looped the other end of the cloth around his wrist. "I'm putting you in charge of watching her."

He tied the final knot snugly against Berwald's skin.

"You made it very tight," Tiina complained, her wrist already starting to feel a bit numb from the involuntary constriction.

"That is so you won't escape. I'm tying you to this monster," he said, pointing to Berwald.

"I'm n't a m'nster."

"He's big and scary and he has sharp teeth that can rip your head and heart off. Chomp chomp chomp." the Dane said, gnashing his teeth together until he was making a loud clicking sound.

Tiina jerked back, pulling away hard. Berwald shoved Mathias and pushed past him, dragging Tiina along with him.

He pulled her to the hearth and then sat down with her there, well out of Mathias' reach. Then he started to untie her hand.

At first, Tiina's heart leapt since she thought he might actually let her go. But then, Berwald retied the knot that bound her to him, making it looser instead and no longer uncomfortable. "Bet'ter?" he asked, his gaze ominous as he searched her face for a response.

Tiina's lip quivered and she started to wail. His appearance was so damn scary.

Mathias yawned as he removed his clothing. Berwald could sort this out. He was gonna go to sleep. He'd have a lot to do tomorrow. Making preparations for a proper sacrifice was going to take some time and effort but in the end, all his hard work would be worth it.

He stroked the blade of his axe lovingly and then rested it on his pillow. "Good night. I love you." he said quietly to the axe and then glanced around to make sure no one else had heard him.

Lukas did. Mathias was sure of it. The dishwater blonde was now glaring at him from beneath his covers, his blue eyes as hard and narrow as stone.

Apparently Tiina's cries must have drawn him back out of his hiding place. Mathias winked and gave him a thumbs up sign. In his mind, he was telling Lukas that he had a sure fire way of getting them out of there soon. To Lukas, he was just an asshole flaunting the fact he was probably gonna get laid soon with a woman he didn't even know.

The Norwegian flipped him off.

Tiina continued to sob by the hearth, hiccupping nervously. Berwald wanted to comfort her but he was at a loss of what to say. He was never really good with words. They never failed to come out awkward or embarrassing after he had said them. Still, he needed to try something. He wanted her to be happy like when he reunited her with her dog in the woods. Her smile was so sweet and it hurt him to hear her sobs.

"Look," Berwald said, scooping up Hanatamago with his bound hand. His free hand touched Tiina's bruised cheek and carefully guided her chin in his direction. She watched in confusion as he patted the dog with their connected hands and then covered it with the edge of his cloak.

"Mag'c tr'ck." he said as the dog "disappeared" beneath the cloak and then reappeared in his other hand. He stared at Tiina expectantly. At first, she wasn't sure what to make of his behavior. He was weird; there was no doubt about it.

Berwald tried another trick. Hanatamago arfed as he set her on Tiina's thighs and covered both their laps and the dog quickly with his cloak. "She van'shed." he said as his hand slipped underneath the cloak and pulled the dog away from her. He lifted the cloak again, showing her Hanatamago was now sitting on his lap. "Ta-dah."

Tiina's mouth gaped open. It was amusing and yet horrifying at the same time and she couldn't turn away from this obvious display of unsuccessful silliness.

Berwald felt better. The Finnish woman wasn't crying anymore. Hanatamago jumped up and began hopping between them. She liked the game they were both playing even though it was over now.

The white dog scuttled beneath the cloak. Tiina smiled at Hanatamago's silliness as she rolled around playfully and entangled herself. Berwald smiled too.

"How long do you think he's going to keep me here?" Tiina asked, "I want to go home." Berwald understood her feelings well. He wanted to leave this place as well but circumstances prevented it.

"Don't kn'w," he admitted shifting his eyes away to avoid hers.

"You're one of those Vikings, aren't you? I can tell by your sword," she told him, "Why are you living out here? Are you going to attack my village again?"

"Stuck h're," he explained, "Jus' the three of us."

"Then let me go," she said softly, "I promise I won't tell anybody you're here."

Berwald sighed. If only it was that simple. "My br'ther wants you f'r his wiv."

Tiina paused. Her body felt strangely numb as though she had been frozen by his words. The man who beat her wanted to marry her?

"He has a funny way of showing affection," she pointed out, "Are you sure?"

Berwald nodded slowly. Though Mathias hadn't actually said it yet, all his behaviors indicated a man struck by love. He was concerned about her virginity, he wouldn't lay with her because he probably wanted to preserve her purity, and he was celebrating because he was waiting for the big day. Yes, according to Berwald, Tiina and Mathias were definitely getting married.

"But why?" Tiina blurted out, still not believing that Mathias had such intentions.

Berwald blushed heavily. Her beauty must have been the reason the Dane was so smitten with her at first sight. He also thought she was beautiful. Her violet eyes, pretty light blonde hair, and cute smile were all very attractive to him. "'It's emba'rassing to say."

The Swedish man gave her his best smile to reassure her that it was going to be alright but it came off looking more frightening than ever.

Tiina shivered from the impending creepiness of the entire situation. In some ways, she wished she'd never even crawled out of bed. If she'd known this would be her fate, she'd have never passed through her front door.

The Finnish blonde sighed heavily. "I can't sleep."

Berwald nodded. He was afflicted with the same anxious state of mind.

"I don't remember you having these bruises on your face when we first met." Tiina stretched out her hand and pressed it tentatively against his cheek, upon realizing how his eyes watched her with such a creepy stare, she hesitantly pulled her hand back feeling she may have overstepped her boundaries. "Is it because I hit you?" Her voice came out sounding a bit more timid than she wanted it to.

"Mn," he grunted, shaking his head 'no'. Most of the bruises he wore were from his violent fight with Mathias in the woods.

Berwald awkwardly reached up and ran his hand along the swollen side of her face. He hoped the bruise there wouldn't form a scar. "So'ry," he apologized.

Though he sounded sincere, Tiina didn't accept his words fully. Her cold toes brushed his leg unintentionally as she shifted her back against the wall away from him.

"Yo'r shoes." Berwald stated, "You threw th'm."

Tiina hadn't paid that much attention to that detail before since he had carried back to the cabin. She was too caught up in what was going to happen next to care about them. It seemed like a given that she'd never see her shoes again if she yielded them like a weapon. She was about to suggest the hopeless idea that she return home and fetch them when Berwald suddenly told her he was going to make a pair for her.

The Finnish woman really didn't want him to but he seemed too intimidating to actually refuse.

"A- alright."

Berwald got up off the bed and Tiina reluctantly joined him. Being tied together made this a real challenge; she had no other option but to stay close to him.

First he walked over to the hearth and added some kindling. The fire blazed, causing the room to grow a shade brighter than it had been previously. Berwald stooped below Lukas' bed and removed a sack from beneath it. The bag was overloaded with treasures and some valuable coins spilled out onto the floor. He didn't even seem concerned about them.

The bed's occupant stirred but did not wake up. Tiina looked down at the young man as Berwald rifled through the sack. Lukas seemed less like the other two Vikings because his build was much smaller, almost feminine. His sleeping expression wasn't one of peace either. He seemed uncomfortable, almost as though he were plagued by miserable dreams. The Norwegian winced as he shifted off his right shoulder onto his back and Tiina took note of the scar that disappeared beneath his garments.

Mathias' obnoxious snoring drew her eyes away from Lukas. The Dane seemed restless as he slept, his intermittent dream-talk filled with a mixture of boasts and praises for all the greatness that was him. Of course, true to form for someone who thought so highly of himself, the Dane slept naked. She could tell because his garments were lazily draped over the headboard.

In a way, she felt lucky she was sharing a bed with someone else. The Vikings had a reputation for plundering women and robbing them of their innocence. She still had that fear and her treatment, though not excessively cruel, was far from ideal.

Berwald tugged on her arm and pulled her back towards his bedding. Once she was on the edge of the bed, he took her leg without asking and slipped her foot inside something made of animal hide.

"They're really big," Tiina pointed out, peering down at the shoe he had clamped over her foot. The blonde man grunted ominously. Such an outcome was regrettable but expected.

"But," she quickly added in fear, "It's a nice thought but I can't wear something this big. Thank you though."

After all, this was a start. It was better than nothing. It was apparent she wouldn't be able to wear either of the other Viking's footwear if the one belonging to the smallest of the three was inadequate.

Tiina edged back from him as he studied her foot. He seemed to be thinking about something, although of what exactly she was uncertain.

She yawned. The bed was becoming comfortable and she was starting to feel a bit sleepy as the fire danced hypnotically in the hearth. Hanatamago was already curled up, her body resting against the wall. Though the cues for sleep were finally starting to sweep over her, the Finn really didn't want to rest just yet. She told herself she shouldn't because it was dangerous so she tried conversing with Berwald though his reticent manner made it awkward.

Tiina soon reduced herself to rambling, telling him about anything that popped into her weary mind. Like the yummy fish she left on the hearth or the fire that probably burned out because of her lack of supervision. Even about the friends that occasionally came that would worry about her once they discovered she was missing. Finally, she mumbled a little about how she didn't want to be anybody's wife.

The Swedish man patiently heeded her words, even as she became less coherent and more drawn into the world of dreams. He was doing something with the shoe in his hands. She could tell because the hand holding it was the one tied to her own arm.

Vaguely, it occurred to her that he was sewing and altering the shoe, but that couldn't have been right. His efforts to make something for her didn't make sense.

It wasn't as if she was going to be his bride, she was going to be forced to be his Viking brother's. She wanted to blurt out that his efforts were unnecessary if he was trying to make her like Mathias. If anything she was starting to like him best for his kindness… But why did he have to be so scary?

Soon none of this would matter. She was going to be leaving this place and she would have to try and escape again… but not right now….

Not when a beautiful world of sleep was awaiting her. It seemed funny that her dreams would be peaceful and sweet compared to this living nightmare she was awake in.

Yes, when Tiina awoke tomorrow, she would find that today was nothing but a crazy dream.

To be continued~!

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><p>Author's Note: Thanks for reading! We love your feedback and reviews~! Thanks to everyone who has faved, alerted, and commented so far.<p>

Author's Note 2: We'd love to give a special hug to Yuki Hikari who helped us look over and fix up this chapter before we stuck it up here. We love her super lots~~~ *huggles*


	8. Boundaries of Uncertainty

It was warm. Hazily, Tiina felt relieved that the fire was actually still blazing. This was a first in her household since she had parted company with her family. It had been a long time since she had awoken to a toasty room. Somehow, it felt nostalgic. The surrounding warmness made her feel strangely at ease.

"Hanatamago," Tiina mumbled, nuzzling closer against Berwald's chest. The Swedish man opened one of his eyes as he felt the airiness of her lips against his body. He didn't hear words well but he knew she had spoken something.

Casually, he peered at the top of her head. Without his glasses, her form appeared blurry but she still seemed to be sleeping. A vague sense of relief washed over him.

The blonde Swede closed his eyes. It felt nice. He was ashamed to admit it but he liked holding this woman in his arms while she slept. It felt so nice.

Tiina shifted. She was gradually starting to realize that she was being held by someone. Then she remembered that she'd fallen asleep while talking to that Viking Berwald.

Her eyes snapped open as she looked up and caught sight of his scary face. "Ohayaaaaaaaaaa."

She jerked away but found herself caught between his arms and the wall. Berwald's eyes flipped back open. He didn't know what the commotion was about and he had a bit of trouble reading her expression.

"Huh? Wh'ts wr'ng?" he asked uncertainly.

Tiina didn't know how to answer that without offending the man so she made an excuse about having a leg cramp. She couldn't tell him that his face frightened her! He'd been far kinder than his companion and she needed to remain on fair terms with him.

Lukas rolled his eyes at them from the table where he was salvaging the remains of the deer carcass. "There she goes again-screaming," he said regretfully in response to the Finn's noisy outburst.

Berwald sat up and put his glasses on before glancing over at Mathias' bed. To his surprise, it was empty.

"He went out," Lukas explained to Berwald even before the man asked, "He said he had some things to take care."

"He's gone?" Tiina asked anxiously, sitting up as well.

Lukas nodded. "Mnn. He probably had to do something ridiculous that has nothing to do with us leaving here."

They both got out of bed and began to cross the floor. Tiina spied the remains of the deer resting on the table. Her stomach grumbled.

Berwald pulled a piece of deer meat from the carcass and offered it to her. "Hung'y?"

She bit into it. "Mmmm." She smiled. It really was quite tasty and a welcome change from berries, smoked fish and squirrels.

Berwald clasped her wrist while she was eating and then untied the cloth that bound them together. "St'y h're." he instructed, gesturing to the bench opposite Lukas.

The Swedish man returned after a moment carrying the pair of shoes he had altered. Lukas recognized them but didn't bother to comment; complaining at this point would have been useless. He merely watched as Berwald lifted Tiina's foot and slipped the shoe on. The Swedish man nodded, quite pleased at his own handiwork. The fit had improved greatly.

Tiina still didn't understand but she couldn't say she didn't appreciate his effort. She let him put the other shoe on her foot.

Hanatamago, in the meantime, buzzed around the room, zipping from one corner to the other in an excited state. Lukas huffed again but said nothing. It was obvious that he was irritated but Berwald suspected Mathias was the actual cause.

The Swedish blonde made his way towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Tiina asked, catching his arm as he headed for the door.

He gave her a seemingly ominous stare in response to her touch. Feeling she overstepped her boundaries by touching him, Tiina released his hand.

Berwald blushed and pulled on his boots, too shy to admit that he needed to relieve himself outdoors.

"I…I need to go too," Tiina told him, trembling a bit as he continued to stare at her.

He nodded. "Alr'ght."

"It snowed again," Lukas said over his shoulder as Berwald opened the door.

Indeed it had. Much more, in fact, than any of them was probably expecting.

At the sound of the latch opening, Hanatamago raced across the floor. Before she could make it outside however, Berwald scooped her up and set her in front of Lukas on the table.

"You want me to watch her, don't you?" the Norwegian asked. Berwald nodded, taking a firm hold of Tiina's small hand.

Outside, the Finnish woman looked at her surroundings carefully. She'd been outside last night but things were darker and more hectic and she hadn't gotten a full overview of where she was being held.

Now that the sky was grayer in color, she could make out the cabin and the details of the land upon which it sat. It had probably been there a while but the renovations were more recent.

Her attention shifted to a boat, still only half built, resting on a platform that was shielded from the snow. It was encircled by logs.

Tiina turned her head and was met with Berwald's intense stare.

"I'll wait h're," he said, stepping away and heading towards the boat.

Tiina hesitated. She could easily run away at this moment but she didn't think it was the right thing to do. Hanatamago was still inside the cabin and she didn't want to be separated from the dog again.

The woman glanced over at Berwald who had his back towards her. He was taking a big risk untying her and letting her out of his sight. Vaguely she wondered if it was because he trusted her not to escape anymore or whether he was confident he'd be able to catch her again. She was certain it was the latter of the two.

After she finished her business, she looked over at the woods and then back at Berwald. This really was a good opportunity to escape but the timing was very bad. For one, she didn't know where Mathias was. And two, she'd have a better chance of fleeing if she was able to get a head start when no one was expecting it.

Tiina reluctantly decided to rejoin Berwald for now. "I didn't escape," she told him, though this itself was evident to the Swedish man since she was standing before him, "I had the chance but I didn't take it."

Berwald's expression echoed relief.

"Because," she continued to ramble on, "I was really worried that you'd catch me and beat me worse than the other man. You look so much stronger."

His mouth gaped open at her response. "No," he mumbled, turning his gaze away from her in embarrassment. "I'm g'nna leave you untied for j'st a l'ttle longer," Berwald finished, walking in the direction she had just came from.

It seemed as though he expected her to wait for him now. She looked down at the ground and then gradually back up. She could hear clomping footsteps echoing in the distance up ahead.

"Hmm?" She started paying attention to these sounds as they grew closer until eventually she could hear a person whistling as they walked. She recognized the tune being similar to a Viking's song she'd heard once.

Her eyes fell upon her wrist. The person approaching must be Mathias and he was bound to notice she was untied. She knew she needed to fix this now.

As quickly as she could, Tiina turned and ran in Berwald's direction. The man was still relieving himself, oblivious to her sudden presence until she grasped the hand that was holding his cock.

He seemed taken aback by her abrupt action because his piss went sideways down his pant leg. He wanted to ask her why but he quickly knew when he heard his name being called obnoxiously by Mathias.

"Hey, Berwald. Breakfast ready?" the Dane questioned loudly, thumping his axe against the side of the cabin.

The Swedish man nodded without turning around. "Y'ah."

Nervously, Tiina squeezed Berwald's hand harshly as Mathias approached, hoping the Swede would hurry up and finish.

"It's fucking snowed. I can't hardly get any shit done today," Mathias complained, thrusting his hands back underneath his cloak. With a loud thump, the Dane kicked the side of the building with his foot and headed into the cabin.

"That was close," Tiina sighed in an exasperated tone as the door went shut. She looked at Berwald's face that was almost completely red by now. "But we made it through it without him noticing that we're not tied together," she said.

Berwald cleared his throat as he pulled his hand away from hers. The light blonde woman looked down and then screamed, shoving him away into a tree. "Ohayaaaa! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't see anything!"

Her panicked tone only made him feel worse as she fell back and stumbled across the snow. Berwald fastened his pants quickly and then leaned over to help her get up off the ground.

Tiina couldn't make eye contact with him. He put on his gloves and fetched a bucket from nearby and started to fill it with snow.

The Finnish woman stooped down and put her bare hand into the snow and left it linger there for a moment until it became cold. She pressed the snow between her fingers to the injuries on her face that were still a bit swollen from the other day. It felt good to apply something cool to the bruised skin.

She was surprised when Berwald cupped his hand over hers and eased it away from her face. He removed one of his gloves and pressed it into her hand. She looked up at him uncertainly. "So yo'r hands are w'rm." he explained.

" I have a high tolerance towards the cold," she tried to reassure him, "I'll be fine."

But Berwald continued to stare, unmoved by her response. He really felt she should wear it but since she had already told him 'no' he wasn't sure how to actually go about persisting with the matter. A sense of awkwardness sprung up between them.

Tiina decided she was going to have to give in after a while. She wasn't sure how much longer she could tolerate his penetrating eyes. "Alright. I'll take it," she relented.

The light blonde then slipped the glove on and gathered up another handful of snow. Berwald went back to filling his bucket.

With a sudden creak, the door to the cabin wrenched open.

"Fine! Do it yourself then." The sound of Lukas' voice and the door slamming caused both of them to turn their heads in his direction. The frustrated Norwegian tromped through the snow towards them, a sour expression blanketing his face.

Mathias ripped open the door and flung some deer entrails out at him, pelting the Norwegian in the back. "I'm going to have to do it since you haven't done anything." the Dane retorted.

Lukas swore as Mathias slammed the door. He picked up a snowball and hurled it heatedly at the cabin. "That man is impossible," he complained.

The dishwater blonde grabbed the Dane's unguarded axe that was lying near the side of the cabin and tromped across the snow covered grounds to the unfinished boat. He dropped the axe unceremoniously on the pile of the wood and studied the pile, deciding which would be best to start with.

The door reopened once more to reveal Mathias holding up the raw hide of the deer in one hand and some bloody sinew in the other. "This is the length I wanted. How do you think I am I going to make it if you cut the wrong pieces off for me?" he complained moodily, "I would expect this from Berwald but not you."

The Dane then flung the rest of the raw hide onto the ground. "I got your sail right here. It's one big piece so be careful with it," he called out before heading back inside.

Tiina wrung her hands together nervously as she watched Lukas plop down on a stump and begin to work.

"Hey, woman. How much longer do you think your winter will last?" the dishwater blonde asked without even looking in her direction as he addressed her.

Tiina shook her head uncertainly. "I think we're nearing the end of it," she told him but added, "it'll still be some time before the season turns."

Lukas retained a frown upon his lips. "I see." he replied as he split another piece of wood awkwardly with the Dane's axe. "Then it's still hopeless only now the situation's gotten worse."

He looked over at Berwald. "I felt 'it' again last night," the Norwegian continued, his expression growing increasingly somber as he addressed the Swedish man.

"It?" Tiina questioned, her eyes searching his face for meaning.

"Death," the Norwegian replied, his tone adding an extra degree of chilliness to the air, "The spirits of those departed are drawn here, warning us to leave this place before its too late. "

Tiina shivered, "So, you'll sail as soon as spring breaks?"

Berwald nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We w'll. You too."

The light blonde woman shuddered. "Wait. I don't want to leave and go to your country," she protested, "I won't know anybody. I'll get homesick."

"We're not bringing her," Lukas told Berwald before turning his attention to Tiina, "If you run away when we're done, we'll manage."

"But," Tiina began, watching Berwald's face for an explanation, "If I'm that man's wife, won't he force me to come with him?"

"Wife? WIFE?" The word seemed like poison on the tip of Lukas' tongue. The dishwater blonde cast a dejected look in Berwald's direction. "Is it certain then? Is he really going to do it?"

The Swedish man hesitated. "Se'ms so," he gradually answered, "Tho'gh he hasn't said as m'ch."

The Norwegian bit his bottom lip. "When Mathias has his mind set on something, there isn't much anyone can do to talk him out of it. Once he gets a crazy idea stuck in his head, the stubborn idiot just keeps at it. This is a bad idea," he remarked.

Tiina nodded in agreement with his statement; an impending marriage to Mathias was just not desirable at all, for anyone. She felt relieved that at least one of her captors understood that a forced relationship was not going to work. She hoped that when she escaped she could put the business of marriage behind her quickly.

"If it's any consolation, I don't want to be your brother's wife. I just want to go home," she explained, directing her attention specifically at Lukas.

"Hmph. My brother?" Lukas replied, his expression softening in response to her assumption, "Don't misunderstand. That man's not our real relative though he makes us call him 'brother'. "

"Oh. So you're not a real family?" Tiina responded curiously.

Lukas paused as he seemed to stare longingly at the piece of wood in his hand before letting out a sigh. "No, we're not." He turned his attention over to Berwald who was starting to fidget with the edge of the bucket in his hands. The tall Swede could already sense their conversation was starting to stir up some uncomfortable memories for the Norwegian- a time all three of them wished they could forget but couldn't.

"We do it bec'use of a prom'se," Berwald finally clarified to her.

"One that Mathias is going back on," Lukas ruefully tacked on.

Tiina bit her lip. She could sense the shift in mood that was now evolving between the three of them. Whatever this promise was, her presence was clearly interfering with it.

Lukas returned to working on the unfinished boat. He scrapped Mathias'

axe across the board before shifting his gaze to the ground.

The bonds that he, Mathias, and Berwald had forged were starting to come undone. More than anything, the Norwegian wished he could leave Finland immediately before the foreboding sense of misfortune overtook them completely once more.

Yes, Lukas could feel it. The dread one feels when the loss of something or someone close is imminent.

Yes. It was just like _that_ time.

Those were the days he remembered all too well.

_To be continued~~~~_

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><p><strong>Author's Note 1:<strong> Thank you to everyone for reading! Reviews are GREATLY appreciated and very helpful to us~~~~

**Author's Note 2:** Next two chapters will be FLASHBACKs~ which I am like super excited about, so YAY! Well, to me, it's a good thing. ^_^


	9. Cold Regret

_Note: This is a Flashback chappy_

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><p>The day was as any summer day should be. The weather was pleasant and the air from the sea was fresh and inviting.<p>

As their long boat came ashore, Lukas was filled with excitement. They'd been at sea for several weeks, committing countless raids on their way up the Finnish coast and now they were headed inland again to plunder yet another village.

Lukas stared at the empty bag he planned to fill with valuables. He'd already accumulated some treasure but he was eager to gather more.

When he returned to Norway, all the precious items he plundered could be sold and he'd finally be able to live a comfortable life.

During his voyage, he befriended Berwald and Mathias, two of the stronger Vikings in their party. The two men had plenty of valuable things already but preferred fighting best and chose the life of being at sea over one of comfort.

"After tonight's raid, I'm gonna get so wasted," Mathias said enthusiastically, "So each of you guys better bring me back some of the village's best alcohol." He took a swig of ale.

"You shouldn't drink before a battle," Lukas scolded, taking the container away from Mathias and thrusting it at Berwald.

"C'mon. There's no need to be superstitious," Mathias remarked, grinning at the dishwater blonde.

"It's not superstition. It's common sense." Lukas sighed.

Berwald took a swig and then tossed the empty container into the water.

As the other men started to leave the boat, Lukas checked his equipment. As he was doing so, a strange feeling washed over him.

He looked up and noticed a small clique of Viking men looking over at Mathias and whispering. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the boisterous male wasn't well liked by his fellow shipmates.

A chilling touch fell upon Lukas' right shoulder, one that made his arm numb. He glanced over. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a hand but it disappeared along with the unexpected numbness.

Lukas was startled by the sound of a loud thud at his feet.

"Quickly. Hide this!" Mathias said as he tossed the rest of Berwald's equipment at Lukas.

The dishwater blonde ignored him and got off the boat. Berwald marched past Lukas and sucker-punched Mathias into the water.

Lukas could see that his other Viking companions were less than amused with Mathias and Berwald's constant playful fighting. He, himself, even found it to be annoying.

"LUKAS~! Help me out will ya!" Mathias called to the Norwegian as he grabbed Berwald by the cape and yanked him into the water too.

Yes, in hindsight, Lukas could see exactly why they were disliked.

It was just before nightfall when their party finally arrived at a wooded area outside a village. It was strangely quiet and the houses were dark and seemingly still. The original plan had been to wait and scout things out but something unexpected changed their plans.

Lukas heard the scream of a Viking being struck down unexpectedly. It seemed they had been discovered and surrounded somehow. All their plans went straight to hell. The Finnish villagers knew they were coming.

"Fight on!" someone shouted as a battle cry, though from which side it originated, Lukas was uncertain.

"Shit," Mathias swore, as he ripped up his axe and charged in to engage their enemies. Within moments, they were fighting their way towards a losing victory, attacking whoever took up arms against them.

Berwald, who was always fierce in battle, used his powerful arm to swing his sword through man and flesh with ease. Screams filled the air as the village men challenged him. Most, however, ran away from him due to his intimidating appearance.

"Hey, Berwald," Mathias called from across the chaotic battlefield to the Swedish man, "I'm taking on three at once. Think you can do better?"

Blood splattered Lukas on his right side as Mathias swung his two handed Danish battle axe and killed another villager. The Dane was so magnificent and fearless in battle. It was no wonder that Berwald rivaled with him.

Lukas stepped over a body that he had killed. He rushed inside a nearby house intent on pillaging as much as he could. He was after anything that was expensive looking and could be sold for a profit. Lucas felt lucky that he was able to find some jewelry and gold chains. There were more valuable looking objects contained in a chest that he grabbed as well.

Lukas took some alcohol too, intent on giving it to Mathias afterward when the man shared the account of his conquests with their party.

"SHIT!" Mathias called out as he stumbled backwards "This is bad!" Berwald turned his attention to his fellow Viking. He seemed to be taking care of himself with the fighting, so what was the problem? Berwald glanced in the direction Mathias was turned and saw what the Dane had exclaimed as bad. Being gutted at that very moment was the leader of their Viking party.

A few Vikings began to flee, others continued fighting choosing honor rather than victory. The loud wordy shouting drew Lukas' attention. He heard an anguish filled bellow and then the cries of men bemoaning their leader. The situation outside sounded as though it had become worse.

Lukas could feel the despair in the air. This raid was becoming increasing ill-fated.

Something sharp and unexpected pierced him from behind through his right shoulder. He cried out in pain as the sword hit bone and turned around to see the villager who had inflicted the wound.

Blood sputtered into the air as the man pulled his weapon out and the dishwater blonde felt strangely noxious from the pain.

The villager swung the dagger again, this time at Lukas's chest. The Norwegian cringed, throwing his body backwards against the wall to escape the driving blade.

He avoided his enemy's second attack. His hand immediately went for his weapon. Without hesitation, he dispatched his enemy and left the other man's body fall to the floor.

Lukas winced and grabbed his shoulder wound with his good hand. It was bleeding profusely and he needed to fix it up quickly. Ripping off a piece of cloth from the dead body of the villager, Lukas tied it with his good hand as tightly as he could on his shoulder.

He lurched forward and stumbled to the floor. It was embarrassing to be in this bad of shape from one wound and not dead. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight much longer with this current level of pain. It was a bad dilemma. He could either bleed to death or be slaughtered by the villagers.

This was the worst fucking raid ever… Well according to him it was. Lukas pulled on the door of the house and glanced out at the ongoing chaos. His chances of doing any real damage in another fighting encounter were slim now that his right arm was useless. If he could get back to the long boat somehow he have a better chance of surviving.

Running seemed like his best bet. Lukas decided he could make it back to the seashore. He'd have to bring the treasure too or else his earlier efforts would have been all for nothing. It didn't really matter what his crew thought of him; all that he cared about was that he'd live.

Lukas headed out into the turmoil.

Of course racing back to the seashore SEEMED like a grade 'A' plan but as Lukas found out, the loss of blood and shearing pain slowed him down tremendously. His normal running pace was cut below half and seemed more like walking, yet it was the fastest Lukas could bring his legs to go.

It was in that moment that Berward caught sight of the Norwegian struggling to leave the battle. He looked completely defenseless.

Berwald rushed over to Lukas. "You ok'y?"

Lukas didn't look back. Instead, he struggled forward.

Time felt as though it was in slow motion and as much as Lukas wanted to answer him he couldn't muster up his voice to say more than "Nmm. "

It hurt. Everything hurt.

Berwald grabbed Lukas by the cloth around his waist. His hand pressed open the door to the nearest house. He gave a quick once-over glance around the dwelling before pulling Lukas inside.

As much as the Norwegian didn't want the help, he was thankful that it was coming from a good companion.

Lukas let his body slump to the floor as Berwald flung the treasure bag next to him.

"St'y here," Berwald said firmly to Lukas.

Heading back outside, Berwald pulled the wooden door shut. He removed a dagger from his waist belt and nailed it through the latch hoping it would prevent others from rushing in and attacking his wounded companion.

Berwald then rejoined Mathias who was taking on more opponents than he should.

Lukas gave a pained look at his shoulder. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, maybe then the pain would dull.

He closed his eyes and then blacked out.

Outside, a fire began to spread. The village was now beginning to burn as the other Vikings and most of the villagers retreated. Mathias, who was not willing to give up on anything once he got himself going, found himself one of the last few still fighting.

"We need t' go," Berwald stated to Mathias as he struck down more men. He turned his attention to the row of buildings where he had last left the wounded Lukas.

"What's your kill count?" the blood covered Dane asked as he huffed and swung his axe down.

"Doesn't m'tter," Berwald replied, his own body finally starting to sweat.

"I got like sixty people, alive and dead." Mathias bragged though the concept of it made absolutely no sense to the Swede.

"No t'me for this," Berwald answered, "Now c'mon."

Mathias sighed heavily as he took out another person. He really wasn't ready to leave even though they were clearly outnumbered and losing against the native population. The fire didn't scare the Dane either even though it was spreading like crazy around them.

Berwald caught his arm, his face overly serious. "He's ins'de." the Swedish man stated, gesturing towards the building, "We h've to get him, now."

"Who?" Mathias demanded, "Who's inside?"

"L'kas," Berwald explained as they fought they're back towards the row of houses, some of which were already burning.

"Which one?" Mathias asked with concern. Berwald looked from house to house. He'd gotten disoriented while they were fighting and lost track of which one it was.

He shook his head. The abundance of smoke wasn't helping either.

Mathias called the Norwegian's name as he hit another door.

Inside, Lukas tried to lift his head. Everything was blurry and it was getting harder to breath.

The building was on fire, wasn't it?

It was so hot inside. He found it very difficult to move but he still had to try.

"-kas,"

He thought he heard someone calling. Was it Death? He'd heard the whispers of the dead before but nothing like this. Was it his time to finally go to Valhalla?

He didn't want to.

He coughed as he drew a deeper breath. The smoke was heavy above him but he had to get out of there somehow.

"LUKAS." He heard the voice again. This time he recognized it.

"I'm…here." his voice was hoarse but he hoped the Danish Viking would hear him.

His name came again, louder than before and he could actually hear the pounding on the door.

A burning piece of the roof fell down near his body.

"MATHIAS!" Lukas called at the top of his lungs. He really hated this. The last word he ever spoke would be that asshole's name.

He closed his eyes and then forced them back open again. The smoke hurt them so bad.

When his eyes opened this time, he saw another pair of bright blue ones looking back at him.

Great. He was gonna die thinking about that guy too.

"He's okay!" Mathias shouted into the air, "You're okay?"

Lukas closed his eyes again, a faint smile slipping across his lips. "You're an idiot for coming in here."

He felt the other man lift him into his arms and press him close to his chest ."Gee, what the hell happened to you? You look like shit."

Lukas knew it and he hated the other man for saying it. He took a pained breath. The fire was intensifying around them but Mathias walked around like nothing was even there.

It was hard not to admire a man like that. "Take the treasure," Lukas told him, gesturing towards the floor where he had dropped the bag, "We should get out of here."

"What's the rush? Could it possibly be so we can enjoy our spoils of war and drink? Then everyone can tell me how great I was in battle? Cuz I was great. Is that why you want to leave so bad?" Mathias scrambled to say the last of his sentence, the air becoming almost too heavy with smoke.

"Because a little smoke isn't going to stop me from rescuing you. I think you must be happy that it's me saving you. Are you going to thank me? I can stay in here all day till you do." Lukas heard Mathias muffle a cough.

Lukas let out a sigh as he gave a push to be let free from Mathias's arms. "I can save myself."

Mathias puckered his lips to the side, still holding his grip tight around Lukas. "Hey, hey, do you think that since I'm the king of battlefield that would mean rescuing you would make you my 'queen' or is it 'princess'? Which one do you-"

Lukas used his good hand to grab on Mathias's collar, giving a tight pull. "You're so annoying. You're going to suffocate from inhaling so much smoke with that big mouth of yours."

Letting go of Mathias's collar, Lukas moved his hand to Mathias's forehead and gave him a swift whack "I'm only saying 'thank you' so you'll shut your mouth and leave."

Mathias's blue eyes were watering from the smoke and he heard him gasp in relief after they got outside.

Berwald was still fighting against the enemy which was much less in number than before. Most of the Finns were gone now and there were no other Vikings left behind except the ones that were already dead.

With a swift sword stroke, Berwald cut a path through the defending people. "Let's go!" Mathias shouted to Berwald, as though he was the one holding up the group.

They were forced to run back to the shore but when they arrived, their long boats had already gone out to sea. The sight was quite unsettling. Their fellow Vikings who survived the raid were sailing back to the main ship in their only way off this land- both long boats.

"YOU'RE LEAVING US?! WE'RE STILL HERE!" Mathias shouted, kicking the sand.

He dumped Lukas on the ground and started running out into the water.

"FUCK! FUUUUUCCCKKK! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Mathias swore again as the boats continued to sail on without them.

_To be continued~~~_

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><p><strong>Author's notes:<strong> Please review, it would be sooooo awesome if you did~


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